1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data buffer having memory locations for the buffering of successive groups of data units, presented during successive phases, for the duration of buffer periods which are recurrent for each group.
2. The Related Art
An example of a general device of this type forms a portion of a compact disc player including encoders and decoders for error correction, as outlined in: "The Compact Disc Formats: Technology and Applications", K. Pohlmann, J. Audio Eng. Soc., Vol. 36, No. 4, April 1988, pages 250-287. The encoders as well as the decoders are based on the "cross-interleaved Reed-Solomon code"; to this end, each encoder and decoder comprises a so-called "interleaver" having twenty-eight delay lines for respectively delaying a corresponding number of data units, each for the duration of a mutually different buffer period.
Preferably, a buffer device of this kind is constructed so as to require as small a memory as possible. Furthermore, the addressing of the memory is preferably as simple as possible in view of the computing capacity required for control of the device. Therefore, it is inter alia an object of the invention to provide a buffer device of the kind described which offers more efficient memory use and is simple to address.